UMB and its leaders take the opportunity to say thanks at Student Cookout and Staff Luncheon.
Photo: School of Social Work Dean Judy Postmus serves food during the Founders Week Student Cookout on Oct. 18.
The event was scheduled to start at noon, but students from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) started lining up along West Lombard Street a half-hour early on Oct. 18. The draw? The annual Student Cookout, part of UMB’s 2023 Founders Week celebration.
The students, about 600 total, were greeted by UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, then grabbed a plate and proceeded to the center of the School of Nursing Courtyard, where they found tables filled with food and UMB deans and vice presidents standing ready as servers, wearing aprons and smiles.
The offerings from caterer Mission BBQ included pulled chicken, sliced turkey, beef brisket, mac-and-cheese, baked beans, cole slaw, and cornbread. There also were drinks and desserts, vegan or kosher meals for those who requested them, and plenty of benches for all to have a seat and enjoy their meal.
Kaustubh Joshi, who is studying pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Maryland Graduate School, said he appreciated the free meal and was happy to take a lunch break on a beautiful fall day.
“This is a fun event,” he said. “We are having exams and there is stress and pressure from schoolwork, so events like this where we can come outside and talk to people from our school and from different schools, it’s a very good thing. And the food is awesome.”
Julia Goetz and Alfred Koiwood, first-year students at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON), echoed Joshi’s sentiments.
“I have gone to a lot of little events at the Campus Center, but nothing so large scale,” Goetz said. “I love events like this. They make me love college so much.”
Said Koiwood: “I am excited to be out here. I didn’t think there would be events like this at a professional school, so it’s definitely a surprise. I like community-type gatherings like this.”
Kevin P. Kelly, JD, chief government affairs officer and vice president, was among the UMB leaders serving food to the students.
“This is an opportunity for us to show how we appreciate all the hard work and long hours that students put in while pursuing their health professions and legal education,” Kelly said. “Anything we can do to support that, it’s our pleasure to do so. It’s a small way of giving back for everything the students do and will be doing in the future for the citizens of Maryland.”
(Watch a video about the Student Cookout below or at this link.)
Staff Members Get a Treat, Too
On Oct. 16, the 2023 Founders Week celebration kicked off with the annual Staff Luncheon at Westminster Hall. More than 500 employees made their way to the historic venue on West Fayette Street to enjoy catered food served during two seatings.
Waiting in line outside on a chilly Monday, staff members received warm welcomes and appetizers from Jarrell and other UMB leaders before entering the hall. Once inside, they got to choose from a menu that included sandwiches and wraps, salads, vegetables, brownies, cookies, sodas, and more.
Jarrell addressed the crowd during each seating and thanked employees for their service to the University.
“It is always a special day when we celebrate our staff at this event,” Jarrell said. “You should know how much we appreciate what our staff members do. Thank you for helping to make our wonderful University operate the way it does. You make this a place where people feel they belong.”
Casey Jackson, MS, CCRP, research quality manager, UMSON, was pleased to be enjoying lunch with her colleagues inside the historic building.
“The Staff Luncheon is a great way for President Jarrell and other leaders to serve our staff and faculty members,” she said. “It’s a way of saying thank you, and you get the opportunity to see a really beautiful building that isn’t always open.”
Timothy Walker, help desk specialist, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, started at UMB in May, so he was attending his first Staff Luncheon.
“UMB hosting this event shows that the University really cares about everyone working as a team and being together, and it means a lot to me to be able to meet people outside of my workspace,” he said.
Mary Maldarelli, MD, a 2019 University of Maryland School of Medicine graduate and pulmonary and critical care medicine fellow at the University of Maryland Medical Center, provided background music during each session, playing the venue’s restored 1882 pipe organ.
Maldarelli, who has a master’s degree in music from Catholic University and studied music at the Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute, played the well-known theme from “The Addams Family” and more traditional classical fare.
“President Jarrell’s office invited me,” Maldarelli said. “Westminster Hall’s previous organist, Michael Britt, was one of my mentors, and he began asking me to help him with events at Westminster Hall starting in 2018. He passed away last fall, and I’ve taken over music responsibilities for Westminster Hall since. The organ world is small, so it is normal for me to be the sole organist for the instrument.”
(Watch a video about the Staff Luncheon at this link.)
Sandwiched between the Staff Luncheon and Student Cookout, a new Founders Week feature was launched Oct. 17, as more than 120 members of the UMB community visited one of the University’s five “Historical Treasures.”
Visitors were welcome to attend open houses at Westminster Hall and Burying Ground; the Joseph U. Dorsch Sr., BSP ’39, Pharmacy Museum; the Living History Museum at the School of Nursing; the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Dental Museum; and the Historical Collections Department at the Health Sciences and Human Services Library.
(To read about each site, click here.)